Hip-Hop Artist Psalm One Goes Back to School to Write and Record with Inner City Kids

Chicago Native Embarks on a Tour of Schools in Nine Cities for the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES Mentorship Program

Psalm One

New York, NY, September 21, 2011: ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) and America SCORES are pleased to announce that female hip-hop artist Psalm One will embark on a nine-city tour for the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES, a mentorship program that provides a platform for songwriters to easily connect and give back to their local communities by engaging and inspiring elementary and middle school students in under-resourced neighborhoods.

The tour kicks off on September 26th in Milwaukee and stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New York, Boston, concluding in her hometown of Chicago. In each city, Psalm One will spend three afternoons collaborating with America SCORES students to write and record an original song. The ASCAP Foundation, a public charity dedicated to supporting music education and talent development, funds the program.

Established in 2006, the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES has brought more than 30 songwriters to 12 cities across the country. Psalm One is the second artist to embark on a multi-city tour. In 2010, critically-acclaimed Philadelphia-based band The Great Unknown completed a five-city tour, which resulted in the first commercial release of songs from the program.

Rapper Psalm One (born Cristalle Bowen) is the only woman signed to the prestigious and fiercely independent record label Rhymesayers Entertainment. While studying chemistry at the University of Illinois, she self-released her debut CD Bio:Chemistry in 2002. She signed with Rhymesayers in 2006 and embarked on a world tour in support of her first commercial release The Death of Frequent Flyer. In 2010, she self-released a trilogy of free albums through her website (www.regularblackgirl.com) entitled Woman at Work, and most recently released Get In The Van 3, the third installment in her Get In The Van music series dedicated to getting on the road. She is currently working on her next album with Rhymesayers, slated for release in 2012.

A seasoned writer with a soulful and vulnerable style, her songwriting is multi-faceted and ultra-cultural. Her life has revolved around music and education, but rarely have the two meshed in such an exciting way. Fresh off an appearance on MTV's MADE, she is taking her mentoring skills on the road to work with inner city school kids. In each of the nine cities, she will spend three two-hour sessions with students: co-writing a song during the first two sessions and recording it in a professional studio during the third session. The finished songs will be included on a special compilation CD that ASCAP produces, which is distributed to each of the schools involved, as well as to music industry influencers.

Psalm One knows the value of giving back to the community. A former student of Chicago Public Schools, she has volunteered, mentored and tutored students through Charm Lab, a program she started in 2008. After moving to San Francisco, she worked for America SCORES as a poetry and soccer coach and was invited to participate in her first ASCAP Songwriter Residency. She wrote and recorded a song called "Going Smart" with a group of students, ages 8-11, from Reach Academy. The song, a play on the slang term "going dumb," showcased the kids' ability to have a lot of fun and make music in an intellectually responsible way. The following year Psalm One was invited again to participate in the program, this time in her hometown of Chicago where she wrote and recorded a song called "Fly Imaginary Cars" with students from Pope Elementary School.

In addition to the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES, Psalm One will also be working at Rhyme School, a music mentoring program at The Avalon School on Chicago's South Side. Rhyme School is a partnership between Psalm One's Charm Lab and the Intonation Music Workshop. Over the course of three months, Psalm will work with student musicians on how to utilize Rap as a part of their musical repertoire.

About America SCORES
Founded in 1994, America SCORES is a national youth development non-profit that serves urban youth in under-resourced public schools in 15 cities across the nation. America SCORES provides a high quality after-school program that integrates poetry, soccer and service-learning. Using teamwork as a unifying value, America SCORES� mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world. America SCORES innovative and holistic approach to youth development encourages creative expression among youth while improving their health, academic achievement and civic engagement. Participants show significantly improved physical fitness, higher school attendance rates, and increased self confidence after just one season in the program. www.AmericaSCORES.org.

About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org.